Bleeding Out
by SciFiRockerGeek
Summary: Dean has separated from Sam and Cas. Dean drives to clear his mind. The solitude does not last long as Dean stumbles upon a hunt against something he has never faced before. Now alone and emotionally weak can he survive when the hunt goes south.
1. Driving Helps Me Think

Bleeding Out

Chapter 1 ~Driving helps me think~

A/N: I do not own anything. When it is '_italicized_' it is the character's thoughts. Look up art/Adlet-298624322 for image of the creature. All rights to image go to the artist erebus88, I do not own it. I am using it as inspiration for the creature.

Dean didn't know where he was going and at this point, he didn't really care. Everything had finally come out about Sam and the Angelic possession. The lies that he had told, not only to Sam but to Cas, Kevin and himself. The worst was the deaths that had occurred. Dean saw the body that Gadriel left behind in that house and of course, Kevin. '_Who knows how many more died by Gadriel through Sam_'. Dean wondered if Sam would remember what had happened like he did when he was possessed by Meg. Dean had taken the blame over Kevin's death. '_His death was my fault. I fell for his trick, fell for his lies, believed in him and trusted him. I should never have let it go on this long_' Dean said to himself as he continued to stare at the long empty road ahead of him.

Dean had heard it a million times, he was not something good for anyone to be around. '_Not even Sam_'. He was poison, the very touch of him corrupts, he uses people and then throws them away when they are no longer needed. People that were close to him or knew him ended up dead. '_Look at what happened when I brought Sammy back into this life. All the guilt Sam was feeling was because of him_'. Dean picked up the speed down the empty road. The purr from the engine from his baby was his only comfort. He didn't put on the radio nor did he play any of his music. He needed the silence, he deserved the silence.

Dean had lost track of time and how long he had been driving this one stretch of road. He needed a drink and to get out of the car for a bit. It was starting to bring up too many memories. He had been thinking of all the times he would be driving down a long stretch of empty road to clear his head. Usually it was after a troubling hunt. He would usually stair straight ahead, keeping his eyes on the road but he could also just look over and get comfort from seeing his brother. Sometimes Sam would be sleeping, exhausted from the hunt, just staring out the window or looking at a map. Knowing the best thing for Dean after a bad hunt was, another hunt. They both knew each other in and out. Dean shook his head and tried to clear his head. '_No point on dwelling on the past_' he told himself.

Dean had found a bar after he had eventually run out of empty road and eventually hit a town. It was a small out of the way town, not a large population and not many people out late. He didn't want company, he wanted to drink, crash for the night and then hit the road again in the morning. He had ordered a beer and a shot of whiskey. He was seated at the bar and was listening to some of the conversations going on around him. People were talking about the usual, lost their job, hated their job and troubles at home. He had made his way through four beers and several shots before he called it a night. As he was getting his money together for the bartender he overheard another conversation, one he paid attention to and could relate with. "Edgar was starting to see less and less deer coming into the area. So he decided to take a look in the woods for traps or poachers. Apparently what he did find was something not of this world as he said. He described it as having long human like arms but, hands with claws, the body of an animal, almost dog like. He said the face had human and animal features. So I said Edgar, lay off the mushrooms or shares' buddy" the guys at the table laughed along with him. Dean finished paying and left the bar. He would find a hotel room and look into this sighting. '_Never found a hunt I didn't like_'.

Dean had found a hotel near to the bar and that was cheap and had vacancy's in every room. He decided to take the room farthest from the office. Less likely for the people to bother him as much. He opened the door to his room and was met with the smell of stale air. '_How do these people stay in business_' Dean thought as it seemed like these people barely had customers, if any. He had been in worse, seen worse. He had stayed in abandoned houses when their Leviathan copies were famous serial killers. He had slept in the car countless times as well. Usually without heat or AC. Here he had a solid roof over his head and working heat. The temperature had dropped for the night so it was welcomed. He unpacked his weapons and checked them and his ammo supply. He began the process of cleaning his guns and sharpening his knives.

Dean had finished his guns and was onto his knives. He liked to do this before a hunt. '_Dad always said, you can't trust yourself or partners but, you can always trust your weapons_'. Dean smiled as he could still hear his father's voice in his head. Some thought he was crazy or dependent for how much he followed his dad's example and words. He saw it as him being his father's back up. As soon as he had found out what was out there and how dangerous it was he vowed to help his father. Especially when he came home from a hunt injured. It was only his second or third one and it was a poltergeist. Dad had taken on a werewolf with another hunter and possibly another solo hunt before this one. Now he was seeing that his dad wouldn't always come home in one piece or unscathed. He had patched up his dad's minor wounds and was taught how to do his first set of stitches. He had practiced on fruits after so he could get to be as good as his father. He had learned that caring for wounds inflicted by the supernatural needed to be disinfected differently. '_It wasn't the germs or bacteria you have to be worried about, it is more about the unnatural things you have to fear_' Dean remembered his father had said to him at one point. So instead of peroxide and rubbing alcohol you had to pour holy water over wounds and do this until it stopped hissing, burning and smoking. It hurt like a bitch but, it was the best thing. Dad had heard about another hunter who had gotten a wound and didn't clean it out with holy water and a horrible rot set in. He ended up loosing his leg and nearly died from the infection as well. Dad never wanted that to happen so he always had holy water in the first aid kits in flasks.

This was always the part of the pre hunt that he enjoyed. This was the time to clear your head and relax. Take the time to think and build assurance in yourself. This always reminded him of the 'personal time' dad would set aside to show him how to disassemble and reassemble his weapons, cleaning them or sharpening them. Pastor Jim liked to teach him about hand held weapons while dad focused on the guns. Sometimes Bobby would take over his gun lessons when dad was injured, exhausted or on a hunt. Bobby would also stress the whole doing research before a hunt aspect but he had Sammy for that. Dean's hand stopped as he looked across the table, where Sammy would be sitting. Where he would have his laptop out and be researching their hunt while Dean cleaned and sharpened their weapons. Sometimes Sam would be on the bed with papers spread out their dad's journal and the laptop. He would have it on his lap and his face inches from the screen. He would be so involved Dean could insult him and Sam would agree and not even bat an eye. Dean blinked as the image faded from his mind. He blinked back tears as he remembered why he had chosen this. '_I'm doing this for Sammy_' he brought his knife back up and continued sharpening it. Trying to take his mind off of it all.

Dean had eventually gone to bed to get a little bit of sleep before he did some research on what Edgar had seen the other night. '_If one person noticed a drop in deer population then maybe others did too. Maybe enough that someone wrote about it_'. Usually that wasn't the case but in such a small town, the littlest thing was written about. So his first thing to do was to find Edgar and speak with him. Then to look for the latest newspapers and check for any reports of sightings of similar animals.

Dean walked into the same bar as last night and asked around. Small town and small population means you got the usual people who sit at the same tables every night. His dad had taught him that the best place to sit was at the back and to have your back against the wall and to be facing the restaurant and to always keep your eyes on the entrance and exit. The bartender for the morning was a guy who was much older and looked like he had been here all his life. Dean walked over and called the bartender over and ordered a beer. "Do you know someone by the name Edgar?" Dean asked as he took a pull of his beer. "What's it to you?" the bartender asked as he stood in front of Dean and sized him up. "I'm from the Wildlife Conservation Society" Dean said as he showed him his badge. "We got a call about a drop in deer population in the area. I'm here to get his statement and to survey the area for possible threats to the town". Dean said this with such confidence and professionalism even he believed it. "Yeah I know Edgar but, I wouldn't take what he says as nothing more than fantasy. He's not really all there" he said as he made a swirling motion with his finger by his temple. "Well" Dean said and smiled "we do get a lot of those kind of calls but, I have to check it out and make a report". The bartender nodded. "He lives near the forest that borders the western side of town. You head straight down deeper into town and you'll hit his house, you can't miss it" he said as he wrote the address down on a napkin. "If he isn't there, you can find him at the library, you'll pass it on the way to his place" he said as he handed him the napkin. Dean took the napkin, another pull from his bottle and nodded his head in thanks. He left the bar and went to find Edgar.

Dean realized what he meant by not missing his house. The guy had metallic sculptures in his yard. Some looked like creatures he had seen before, a wendigo, black dog, werewolf and a bat that was supposed to represent vampires… probably. As Dean passed them he ran his hand over them and a residue came off. He brought his hand to his nose and smelled it. "Salt" Dean said as he recognized the scent. This guy had coated them in salt water and he was willing to bet that they were made of silver or iron. '_Was Edgar a hunter?_' Dean thought as he walked to the door and had his badge in his hand. He knocked and waited for an answer. He heard him before he saw him. Edgar was walking into all his furniture and walls. '_Great maybe he is a paranoid drunk psycho_' Dean thought as he heard all the locks on the other side sliding out of place. He was up to ten when the door opened slightly and three more chains were across the door on different levels. Edgar's face popped into view through the small opening. "Edgar, hi my name is Dean Henley. I'm with the Wildlife Conservation Society. We got a report about the drop in deer population. I'm here to make a report, can we talk for a moment?" Dean said as he held his badge out for a moment and then grabbed his note pad. Edgar closed the door and Dean heard the chains shifting and the door opened wider. When he motioned for him to come in Dean looked behind him for a moment and realized only one other person knows he is here. '_Please don't be a monster_' Dean thought as he entered into his house.

"Ok, so the deer" Dean said as he opened his notebook to a new page. He wanted to be out of his place as soon as possible. There was a horrible smell of BO and rotting food. "Right, well, I always leave food out for the deer on my front lawn and usually I get five to ten deer coming around. Well, for the past few days less and less started coming around. Now there are only two coming around and they seemed more skittish and shy then normal. So I decided to go into the woods and have a look around. Man, there were deer carcasses all over. Some were bones while some looked like they were still being worked on". Dean took notes on the amount of deer activity before and the drop after. The carcasses were hopefully still there and he could get an idea of what was doing this. "I took one" Edgar said interrupting Dean's thoughts. "You have one, in your house? Can I see it?" Dean asked. '_No hiking trips just yet_'. Edgar nodded and brought him into a room that had the door closed. "Sorry, had no room in my fridge so the smell is pretty fierce" Edgar said right before he threw the door open.

Dean gagged at the smell of decay and decomposition hit him. He coughed and brought his hand up to his face to cover his nose and mouth. '_Great now I can taste it' _he thought as he walked further into the room. There on the bed was a partially eaten, partially decomposed deer body. Dean found the section where there was a bit and examined it. He measured the length, height and width of the bite with his pen. He made a notation and continued to examine the body. He found claw marks and fur. He took a picture of the bite and claw marks with his phone. He took the small bit of fur and placed it inside the napkin that had Edgar's address on it. Dean turned to Edgar who was standing outside of the door with his shirt over his nose and mouth. "Heard some people say you saw the thing that did this" Dean said and waited for Edgar to answer. Edgar nodded and his face went pale as he recalled what he saw. Dean coughed again as the smell became overpowering while he was standing so close to the body. Dean left the room and closed the door behind him. Edgar went into another room and brought out a sketch pad.

The page he had open was of the creature he saw. Dean studied it for a moment and realized this was not something he had dealt with before. By the description he had heard last night and the picture a few species popped into his head. He would have to head over to the library and do some research and narrow it down. He turned to Edgar, "Can I take this?" He asked and Edgar nodded. "I got more where that came from, it's all I can think about". Dean looked at him for a moment and saw the fear in his eyes in that moment. "Well, thank you for letting me look at that and for um.. well keeping it here" Dean said with a slight tilt to his head as he wondered if that was the right thing to say. '_Sammy would have known better_'. Dean was escorted to the main doorway and stepped outside, taking in the fresh air greedily. Dean could still smell the body on his clothes and as he walked down the steps he heard Edgar say "Lemons". Dean turned "what?". Edgar made a squeezing gesture over his head "lemons for the smell". With that he closed the door and went back inside. "Great, now I have to have a fruit salad for a shower" Dean said as he made his way back to his car.


	2. Never Easy

Bleeding Out

Chapter 2 ~Never Easy~

A/N: I do not own anything. When it is '_italicized_' it is the character's thoughts. All **Bold **is the creatures view. Look up art/Adlet-298624322 for image of the creature. All rights to image go to the artist erebus88, I do not own it. I am using it as inspiration for the creature.

Dean had arrived back at his room after he had stopped by a store and picked up some lemons. He was getting odd looks at the store and some were holding their noses. That was a give away that he still smelled. So he took the lemons, cut them in half and grabbed a quick shower before he went to the library. Dean was thinking of when he first heard the description of it in the bar he could not think of anything that matched what was mentioned.

Most hunters would think of a Wendigo since, this thing was living in the woods. However, their diet consisted of humans only, so far it had only been animals. Wendigo's know how to make a meal last over several months and they did not drain the body of blood or leave a carcass out in the open.

This creature was lured into the area because of the food source and when that ran out it would turn to the next available source '_which would be humans_' Dean thought as he realized this one was going through it's food source quickly, the next step for it was humans and Edgar was probably going to be it's first stop.

Dean had gotten to the library and had searched through the categories until he finally found the section about mythology. He had pulled several books from the shelf that referenced mythological wood creatures and other creature legends. He scanned through the table of contents looking up more of the creatures he hadn't dealt with before since, most of what he had seen and heard didn't sound like anything he had dealt with before. He had the picture out on the table as he looked through each creature illustration as reference for a quick identification. He was several books in when he found some creatures that were getting closer to what Edgar had drawn and seen. The further he went in the book the more similarities kept coming up. Finally he found the creature that matched physically and characteristically.

"Gotcha".

Dean had the book open and had the illustration and the drawing next to each other. '_So you're an Adlet_' Dean thought as he began reading through the information. This legendary creature had originated with the Inuit's, it was a vampire dog and human hybrid. '_You drain the body of blood and then eat the flesh. Hungry little sucker_' Dean wrote the information about it on a blank page of his dad's journal.

Every once in a while he added information on new creatures or updated information as well. He folded up the picture Edgar had drawn and placed it inside the journal and went to the copy machine and copied of all the pages referencing the Adlet. He would take them back to his hotel room, make notes, make a plan and then strike tonight. '_This thing is going to be needing to feed again soon and if there are not enough animals then the one human closest to it's territory would not suffice_' Dean thought as he remembered how many carcasses there were and the state of them.

'_This was a catastrophe waiting to happen. The town is so small, this thing could wipe them out in one day, maybe two_' Dean realized. He had gone back to his hotel and spread out the pages on the table. Reading through the information to get a better idea on what he would be dealing with. This was a creature of legend that was betrayed and got revenge through it's half breed children and were known for being cannibalistic as well.

So it was a strong possibility this thing has only gotten started. It could be similar to other creatures and have a den somewhere in the woods. "Only one way to find out" Dean said as he put the research away and put his dad's journal in his duffel along with several weapons. If this was similar to a Wendigo then this could only be killed by fire. If it was more towards a skin walker then silver would kill it.

There wasn't much on killing this thing as, it was rarely heard of or spoken of, that is what usually happened to mythical creatures. Some cultures had so many that they lost track or added new ones and some went forgotten. Dean had sharpened his silver blades, gathered all of his silver bullets and grabbed his flare gun and extra flares. There was no telling if there was going to be more than one of them out there. The legend spoke of all the children getting together to get revenge so, there could be a pack mentality.

Dean made sure to bring his badge and some markers to keep people away from it's feeding area. There was no telling how big of an area this thing considered it's territory. Dean had also gotten a recent satellite overview of the forest area, he was looking at several miles of uninhabited forest and some houses that were just over the border of where the tree line ended.

Dean had marked off areas that could be used as possible dens or what could be a cave. There were several possibilities and more could show up while he was out there since there were areas that the tree coverage was so dense.

"This is not going to be easy" Dean said as he ran his hand down his face.

He folded up the forest map, grabbed his duffel and made his way to his car.

Dean had made it there around the afternoon hours, trying to start when there was more light available. He was only a small part of the way into the forest and had already run into more than five possible hiding areas. He had made sure to clear them and mark them so he didn't check the same place twice. He had a lot of ground to cover and couldn't waste any time. He had run into a lot more possible hiding areas then he had originally marked on the map.

He was several hours into his search and was now having to use his flashlight to guide him through the forest. He had left reflective markers as his path to follow out of the forest and back to his car. He had checked on Edgar before he went into the forest and told him to stay inside and not to put any food out.

Dean was relieved to find that this thing hadn't started on humans (hopefully) just yet. Dean wanted to catch this thing off guard, to keep it in the forest and keep it away from the town. He didn't want it to follow the smell of food out to civilization. '_No need to jumpstart it's killing spree_' Dean thought as he placed another marker in the ground.

Dean had heard some rustling in a bush, in area just ahead of him. He had pulled his gun from his waistband with his right hand and adjusted his flashlight in his left. He had placed his duffel on the ground as soon as he had heard the noise. He would need to have enough movement to fight this thing if it jumped him. He saw a bush move slightly and then stop. The arms that Dean had seen in the pictures reminded him to keep a good distance between himself and this thing.

The bush moved again and Dean straightened his stance and leveled his gun. He took a deep breath and moved his finger closer to the trigger. He slowly exhaled and planted his feet. The deer that slowly walked through the bush had Dean momentarily startled. The long arms that wrapped around it's neck and in a quick motion broke it and pulled the body back through the bush broke that trance.

Dean could only stare wide eyed for a moment. From what he could see the fingers were short like a dogs paw but, the nails that it had were little daggers. He couldn't see the rest of it and realized that it's reach might be longer than he had expected. Dean slowly made his way around the bush with quick and quiet steps.

He watched where he placed his feet, trying not to alert or startle it. Since it was like a dog, it's hearing would be better than most. Dean cleared the plant and saw the back of the creature. He brought his flashlight up and had his gun slightly lowered. 'The pictures don't do it justice' Dean thought as he saw something twice the size he expected.

** It's prey was in it's sight, it had been tracking it for the last hour. There were less and less of these delicious little treats. Their blood was so sweet and the meat tasted like the woods it lived in. The best way to kill it was to grab it by it's hind legs, which liked to kick and bleed it dry. This one was fast and had eluded it several times before. It was starving and did not want to start on a new prey when this ones scent was already in it's sights. So it snuck up behind and with quick movements grabbed the neck and snapped it. It pulled the body back behind the bush and had begun to feed. Something else was there also, something that smelled different. It did not smell like the woods at all, did not smell like it's usual little treats. No, this thing was different, it was new. It liked the way it smelled, it was making it's mouth water. This new meal was coming closer, quieter than it's usual food but, it was not silent. **

** Another good whiff of the air and the new smells that it had started to release were even better. With slow movements it put down it's usual meal and with speed turned and grabbed it's new food. There was something in it's hands and it put up quite a fight as well, something it was not used to. It felt pain as things found their way into it's body making it stumble slightly. Finally with a swing of it's arm it removed the shiny object of pain from it's path, tightened it's grip around it's body and bit down on the closest section of meat and began to feed. **

Dean had brought his gun back up and had prepared to fire off a round where it's heart should be. What he did not expect was the speed with which this thing possessed. It's recent meal lay discarded on the ground as it came at him, blood dripping from it's mouth and fangs. '_Damn thing must have heard me or smelled me_' Dean thought as he ducked out of it's reach and backed away.

He raised his gun again and was able to get off three to four shots into this things body. He was looking to see if silver would work on it or if he had to use his flair gun or a blade to the heart. If he could slow it down to make taking it out easier that was a plus. The thing stumbled after each bullet hit, Dean was going for his knife when the thing brought one of it's arm around and hit the gun from his grip.

The bullets had not slowed it down at all, he was thrown off balance by the hit and was open for an attack. This thing had reached for him and had been able to grab him. This things grip was so powerful that Dean couldn't even take a deep breath and every time he struggled, the grip got tighter. He felt like his bones were about to snap in half from the strength of it's grip. What he was not expecting was for it to bite down on his shoulder and to begin feeding on him.

Dean let out a yell as he felt it's teeth sink into his skin between his neck and right shoulder. He could feel blood streaming down his chest and could hear it hit the ground. There was so much that it was beginning to puddle around his feet. He was in serious trouble if he couldn't get this thing off of him and put it down.

He grabbed his blade and starting stabbing. he had hit it a few times in it's abdomen and could feel it's blood covering his hand and the hilt of the blade. The Adlet let go, stumbling around trying to figure out what had caused this pain. Dean didn't waste a moment, he stumbled his way to his gun.

He leveled his weapon, trying to steady himself and keep his aim as accurate as possible. His vision began to swim, the edges going black and tunnel vision was setting in. Soon he would black out and be at this things mercy. Dean closed his eyes and shook his head as he tried to clear his vision. When he opened his eyes, the Adlet was not in front of him. It had taken off, somewhere into the forest.

Dean could see the blood on the ground from the wounds his blade made. The blood was darker than most, making it easier to follow the trail and track it down. Dean was considering going after it and finishing it but, his body had a different idea.

His knees buckled and he hit the ground with a loud thud. He was able together enough strength and stability to make his way back to his duffel. It was close to where the attack happened but, in his condition it felt like it as miles away. He had packed a first aid kit in there and he needed to stop the bleeding as quickly as he could.

Dean grabbed his bag and looked around, there was an area that he could use as shelter for a little while. He opened his bag and found the kit, he ripped open gauze pads and began to apply them to the wound. He applied pressure as his main focus was to stop the bleeding first. He took out a bottle of water, gathered the gauze from his wound and placed them on the side. He would burn all of his used medical supplies later to get rid of his scent.

He poured some water over his wound and hissed at the temperature difference, his shoulder felt as if it was on fire. This feeling wasn't something new, this was telling him regular water would not help. He then took out a bottle of Holy Water and poured some of it over the wound. Dean let out another yell as the Holy Water sizzled and burned in his wound.

"Son of a Bitch" Dean said each time he applied the holy water, several more times.

Finally the wound stopped reacting to it and he brought out a coagulant cream. He had learned this after he had a few run ins with vampires, they have an anti-coagulant in their saliva. So the blood flow was hard to stop unless you cleaned it out and applied a coagulant. He started to apply it to the wound watching as each time he put more he started getting clots as well. He kept applying it until he stopped getting clots and his hand remained clean.

He brought out more gauze and covered his wound as best as he could. He tried to tape it down as best as he could since he didn't want to move his head and see if that would start new blood flow. He was light headed and in a world of pain. He kept taking deep breaths as he was trying to not black out just yet. As soon as he was done tending to his wound, Dean let the blackness that had been calling him take hold.


	3. Not Over Yet

Bleeding Out

Chapter 3 ~Not over yet~

A/N: I do not own anything. When it is '_italicized_' it is the character's thoughts. **_Italicized and Bold_** is flash back dialogue. Look up art/Adlet-298624322 for image of the creature. All rights to image go to the artist erebus88, I do not own it. I am using it as inspiration for the creature.

Dean had started to come around a short time later. The first thing that had started to register was the pain, especially his right shoulder which, felt sore and stiff. He could feel the bandaging from earlier shift slightly as he started to move his shoulder slightly to ease the stiffness. Dean was a little disoriented and couldn't remember where he was and what had happened. He had opened his eyes hoping to get a better idea of where he was. However his head had a different idea and the world around him began to spin and fade in and out. Dean closed his eyes and brought his head back down waiting for the vertigo and stomach to settle.

When he tried again, a little slower this time and kept his head down he was able to look around at his surroundings. Some of the night started to come back to him bit by bit. He remembered entering the forest, on a hunt he had stumbled upon. Dean shifted himself and the pain he felt reminded him of the other part of his night. The pain from the bite, the blood loss and the holy water. Dean had brought his head up to look outside of the cave and look at his shoulder a little as well. He had to put it down again as he was hit by another wave of pain from his head this time as the headache he had since he woke up worsened. Dean flinched as he tried to start to move around a little, feeling a wave of pain radiating from his ribs. He was reminded of the grip of this thing, how tight it was and how it only got tighter when he tried to escape from it's grasp.

Dean had managed to get himself upright. It was slow, filled with lots of groans, deep breathing and breaks. Dean managed to breath through the worst of the pain since, he knew he wouldn't be able to take pain meds. While he was still on the actual hunt he needed to keep his senses at their peak. He lifted his shirt and saw the bruising around his ribs and chest area. He was sure that he had more than one broken rib on each side. He took in a deep breath and it wasn't too painful.

"Ok, only fractured" Dean said as began the long and slow process of wrapping his ribs.

He checked the bite area after he was done with his ribs. He could see the bruising around the bite beginning to develop as well. It was swelling and hurt to the touch, all signs pointing towards an infection. Which means it had to be drained and stitched up within the next day or so. Dean let out another groan in frustration.

He had done the draining and stitching by himself before, granted it was easier with another person to help out. It also depended on the area of the wound as well, some were easier than others. He needed a mirror in order to do this one since, it was in an area he couldn't really see and it wrapped around to his back. "Wish you were here to help me out Sammy" Dean said as a small smile came to him.

Dean started to think of all the times one of them had been seriously wounded on a hunt. How the other was always by their side and did all they could for the other. Whether it was to comfort the other from the pain or to stitch up a wound. When things got bad, they could always depend on the other to be there for them in their time of need. Dean took out his phone and looked to see if Sam or Cas had called him. He had no missed calls or texts from anyone.

Dean had never felt so alone, not even after Sam had left for college or even when his father had left him not that long after. He was left in a hotel with no note or message on his phone explaining where his dad went. He was left in a room with coordinates to his next hunt and the keys to the Impala. Dean was brought back to his current situation when he heard movement outside.

Dean grabbed his gun and sheathed his knife. He couldn't let this thing get a hold of him again and do more damage. Knowing this things track record, it would go for the kill. Best way to do that is to keep it from getting up-close and personal and injuring it enough so when he gets closer, it will be the weaker one. He wasn't going to doubt it this time, he was going to take it's head off and burn the body.

Dean slowly started to get onto his knees, he didn't want to rush it and get disoriented. This thing got to him once, he wouldn't let it get the upper hand again. Dean placed his hand on the wall of the cavern and slowly brought up each leg.

He finally got standing after several failed attempts and lots of deep breathing to control the pain and breaks to stop the world spinning. Dean had tried to hold the gun in his right hand and while he could, he could not bring his arm up high enough. The pain was too much, making his arm shake and throw his aim off and right now he needed it more than ever. He held the gun in his left and brought it up to level.

Edgar jumped as he was met with the wildlife control guy and his gun.

"Jeez man, I didn't even know that you guys carried those things" Edgar said as he kept his eyes on the gun.

"Damn it, I thought I told you to say inside" Dean said as he brought his gun down.

"I thought you were something else, I could have shot you".

Dean leaned against the wall as he tried to come down from the Adrenaline rush. Edgar stepped back a little bit.

"I was inside and then I heard what sounded like gun shots. Then some kind of inhuman noise like, something was injured".

Dean took a deep breath and tried to steady himself again. He was running out of patience for this hunt and wanted it over already.

"Well that would be me who fired and that thing is still out there ok. So, I need you to get out of here, go home and stay there"

Dean said as he pushed him back towards the path out of the woods.

"Follow the markers out, don't stop and the faster you move, the better"

Dean said as he pushed him in that direction. Edgar turned to talk to Dean once more when the Adlet came out from the woods.

It grabbed Edgar and in the process hit Dean with one of it's massive paws. The nails from it's paw dug into Deans chest and slashed downwards. The force of it's hit sent Dean backwards and forced him to the ground. Dean felt the skin of his chest rip open and could feel the warmth from the fresh blood loss. When he came to his senses he could hear it feeding off Edgar, taking his blood from his body in large gulps.

Edgar reached out an arm towards Dean, silently begging to be rescued. Dean watched as his eyes rolled into his head and Edgar went limp in it's grasp. Dean realized he had dropped his gun in the attack and started to look around. Once he found it he grabbed his gun and brought it up and fired several shots into it's side. The creature flinched but, did not stop feeding on him. Dean reloaded and with a rush of adrenaline got up quicker this time and moved to it's back and aimed for it's heart. He got in several more shots before it finally paid attention to him again, slowly turning to look at him.

It growled, showing it teeth stained red and flesh hanging from it's teeth. "Shit" Dean said as he went to reload only to find he had no more ammo on him. It was all in his duffel bag which was several feet from him inside of the cave. He went for his blade and readied himself for a much closer fight than he wanted.

The Adlet threw Edgar's lifeless body to the side as it's gaze remained and intensified on Dean. It had remembered him from earlier and had tracked his scent from the blood pool and trail that Dean had left. Dean also remembered the gauze pads he had used that he was not able to dispose of, he had led it right to him. Now, Edgar was dead and it as his fault.

If he had been faster, stronger and would have taken care of the used first aid supplies sooner, it would have stayed in the other area. Dean could have gotten Edgar out or Dean could have killed it and Edgar would still be safe. Dean kicked himself as his eyes fell on Edgar's lifeless open eyes that seemed to follow him no matter where he went. The judgment he felt coming from those eyes was adding to his guilt. Dean gripped the hilt of his knife tighter and gathered his strength and waited for it to strike first, he could still hear his dad's voice in his head giving him training advice.

'_**Never attack first, wait for it to get into your space**_'.

'_**Always be prepared for it to strike at any moment**_'.

'_**Keep the blade in front of you when faced with a threat, never at your side**_' John said in Dean's head.

Dean waited as the Adlet slowly started to move and started to circle it's prey.

Dean could feel the adrenaline wearing off, he had lost a lot of blood earlier and was loosing more. He was getting weaker and would not last much longer. He needed to antagonize it to get this over with as soon as possible. He considered throwing his knife but, if he missed he would be unarmed and even if he did hit, he had no other weapon to use if it wasn't hurt enough.

Dean considered his options and decided he had no choice but to attack first. Dean moved closer and slashed at the creature, drawing blood from one of it's long arms. It let out a mixture between a dog howl and a human voice. Dean could see that the silver had no effect on it and it wouldn't stay still enough for the flare to engulf it. Dean had a thought as he moved his arm and felt something hard inside of his jacked. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the bottle of holy water he had used on his wounds earlier that night.

Dean uncapped it and threw some of the liquid at the Adlet, just catching it on it's chest. The water sizzled and steamed as it hit it's body. The creature howled in pain and was set off balance at this new flash of pain. Dean poured some of the holy water on his knife and prepared to throw it, aiming for it's heart. The Adlet was infuriated that this one prey had hurt it so much, had been so difficult that it let it's rage take over.

The creature huffed and started to make it's way closer to him. It was heading for him, no distractions this time from others and it's long arms would reach him first. He knew it was not going to hold back anymore. Dean poured more holy water on the blade and with a quick aim and steadying he held the knife by the blade and threw it.

Dean had been practicing throwing knives since he was a little kid. It was something his father had always stressed during training. '_**You never know when your only option to save yourself, your brother or a civilian is by throwing your knife. If it is your last option, you better make it count**_'.

Dean had watched as the knife hit it's target, right in the heart of the Adlet. The creature howled in pain as the blade hit and the holy water it had on it made it's way into the wound and heart started to burn. The surrounding area of the wound was also burning from the holy water. The creature dropped to it's hind legs and it's front legs bent on to what could have been it's elbows.

Dean seized the opportunity, he walked forward grabbed the knife and pulled it down making a gash in it's abdomen. He removed it at the base of the gash and then grabbed the top of it's head. He began to pour holy water in to it's mouth and wound. The creature screamed as it started to feel the burning spreading all over inside. Dean poured more holy water on the knife and began to cut the Adlet's head off. Once he was done removing the head he took a step back, took a few breaths and looked around.

The woods were quiet as the creature no longer howled in pain from his attach. He hadn't realized how loud this thing was until it was silenced. Dean was covered in it's blood and more kept coming from where it's head previously sat on it's shoulders. Dean tossed the head at it's feet and went to the nearest rock and sat down for a moment.

He was trying to catch his breath for a moment before he started to clean up. He had to burn not only the Adlet body but Edgar's as well. Dean had only started to get his breath and composure back when he felt a vibration in his pocket. He reached into his pants pocket and brought his phone into view. He was getting blood everywhere but, he didn't care as he saw the name on his caller ID.

"Sammy" was flashing on his phone and Dean didn't know what to do.

'_If he were to yell at me, I don't think I got it in me right now to hear that. Yet, if he wants me back, I don't know if I am up for that either_' Dean thought as the phone continued to ring in his hand.

Dean decided to answer his brother's call.

'_What if he's in trouble_' he thought as he answered "Hey Sam".

The world around him had started to spin again. He looked down and realized he was still loosing a lot of blood from his chest wound. He had also reopened some of his shoulder wounds.

Sam could tell something was wrong right away. Dean never took a long time to answer his calls, even when they are mad at each other. Sam heard his brother's voice and realized it sounded odd, like it was strained and tired.

"You ok?" Sam asked him.

Dean nodded and realized Sam was not in fact in front of him to see his action. Dean regretted the nod as it made him dizzier and made his vision go a little darker.

"Yeah, never better. You ok?" Dean said and cleared his throat.

'_Maybe if he thinks that I was asleep he won't question it further_'.

"Dude, you sound horrible. You sure everything is ok?" Sam asked him again. He wasn't falling for Dean's 'I'm fine'.

Sam had stood as he heard his brother's voice again as he realized Dean sounded worse from seconds ago. He was waiting for an answer and wasn't getting one.

"Dean?" Sam asked with a bit of worry in his voice.

Dean was wavering on his feet, he never should have stood in the first place. He was going to get his first aid kit and start the patching up again but, the blood loss from the night before, the new gashes he had received and the reopened wounds were making him light headed. The adrenaline from the fight was gone and the exhaustion that hit him was overwhelming. Dean wasn't sure if he would be able to answer but knew, he needed help and soon.

"Sammy" Dean quietly said as he lost his battle with consciousness again.


	4. Not how I wanted it

Bleeding Out

Chapter 4 ~Not how I wanted it~

A/N: I do not own anything. When it is '_italicized_' it is the character's thoughts. **_Italicized and Bold_** is flash back dialogue. Look up art/Adlet-298624322 for image of the creature. All rights to image go to the artist erebus88, I do not own it. I am using it as inspiration for the creature.

Sam had been twisting and turning his phone in his hands. He had started to do research on how to track down an angel, specifically, Gadreel. He had a bad feeling all day, mostly centered around Dean. He hated how they had parted, hated how Dean considered himself poison. He felt bad leaving Dean in that state knowing that he would find the first bar and probably drink. Sam hated how Dean was when he drank a lot. He never told him but, Sam was so proud of Dean when he had quit drinking. He had seen his dad throw away his life through alcohol and how it had changed him in the worst ways.

Dean was well on his way to liver failure and then a year in purgatory, not by choice, had gotten him sober. Dean would have coffee in the mornings instead of whiskey, one beer instead of four at lunch and one with dinner. Sam had forgotten what Dean was like before hell, the apocalypse and the loss of Bobby. Now he was able to get a glimpse of that again and, he preferred him that way. '_Why didn't I tell Dean that? Why not say how proud I was of him? Why not remind him of who he was when he was slipping?_' Sam asked himself.

He wasn't even paying attention to his research anymore. He kept looking at his phone, looking for phone calls or text messages from Dean. He had considered calling him but, he wasn't sure if he was ready to talk to him yet. He hated what Dean had done, taking away his choice to live or not. Sam felt he was being selfish, that he did it not to be alone. Dean had said once before that he could do this alone but, he didn't want to. '_The sooner he wakes up and realizes that this life is not for me the better_' Sam said to himself. He placed his phone down on the table and stared at it for a moment.

Cas had spoken to him about how Dean was a fool for all the right reasons, how he had learned how important family was. How much he learned by being human, how much he had learned from Dean and myself especially. Sam had considered it himself, if he were in Dean's shoes would he make the same choices as Dean? How many times had they made deals, been possessed and vessels? How many times have they gone wrong? Sam couldn't do that anymore, wouldn't do that anymore. So, if it was reversed he would have to let go, for good.

Sam decided that they would both benefit from a very open talk. He knew how much Dean hated the 'chick flick moments' but, a talk was definitely needed. Sam decided that he would be the bigger man and call Dean first, ask him to come back to talk and see where it went from there.

Sam scrolled through his contacts and found Dean's number. He had his finger over it, considering whether he should call now or give him a few days more on his own. Sam had another feeling something was wrong and decided to call.

Sam had never had to wait so long for Dean to answer, '_unless he's preoccupied_' Sam thought. Sam cringed as he thought of all the questionable hook ups Dean had made in the past. It was still ringing and he was about to hang up when he heard his brother's voice on the other side.

"Hey Sam" Dean answered. He sounded like he was straining to speak as if he was in pain.

"You ok?" Sam asked. He was on alert as soon as he realized Dean had taken a long time to answer. '_Maybe it wasn't a pleasure hook up but, a hunt_' Sam thought as ha listened to the momentary silence.

"Yeah, never better. You ok?" Dean asked. Sam's brow furrowed as he heard the change in his brother's voice. If it was possible, Dean sounded worse.

"Dude, you sound horrible. You sure everything is ok?" Sam asked. He was hoping for once that his brother would tell him the truth. They were separated and Dean was possibly on a hunt and sounded hurt. He was waiting for Dean's usual "I'm fine" and some comment where he referred to him as "Samantha". Sam hadn't realized but, there was no response from Dean. He was met with silence and silence from Dean was not a good thing. Sam had stood hoping it was a signal issue that made it difficult to hear him.

"Dean?" Sam asked with more worry in his voice.

Sam raised the volume slightly and realized Dean had probably used his phone as bait again. "Jerk" Sam said as he hung up the phone. Not hearing the Dean say his name seconds later.

00oo00oo00oo00

Dean had tried to answer his brother. He had heard Sam call his name and he sounded genuinely worried. Dean had opened his mouth to ask for help when he heard Sam's reply to his silence.

"Jerk" Sam said and then hung up.

Dean had said his brother's name just as he heard his phone tell him that the other person had disconnected the call. Dean looked briefly at the screen as he saw the time of the call flash for a moment and then he lost the battle with consciousness.

Dean started to come around a few moments later and his first feeling, thought and focus was pain. There was not a part of him that did not hurt, even breathing hurt. Dean was able to move slowly into a seated position to get a better view on his injuries. The wound on his shoulder was bleeding some but, not as much as it was earlier. The bandage that he had used to bind his ribs was ripped when the Adlet had slashed his chest which was the reason it hurt to breathe. Dean knew he had to rebind all of his wounds before he could finish this hunt.

Dean had looked around for his duffel bag when he remembered that he had left it in the cave. He had come out only with his weapons when he had heard movement from outside. Now Dean would have to get up, get to the duffel and then do triage. He groaned and leaned his head back for a moment as he thought of his task. '_Why couldn't I have been a Jedi, I could really use the force right now_' Dean thought. He gave a small laugh as he imagined himself extending his hand and bringing the bag to his side.

Dean was moving slower now that he had lost more blood, received new injuries and had used all of his energy in killing this thing. As he stood, regained his balance and slowly started to move to the cave he caught sight of Edgar. He stared at him as his dead eyes stared right back. The look of horror and pain still etched on his face. '_He was reaching for, asking for my help, wanting me to save him. I failed him. I failed again_' Dean thought as he stared at Edgar.

"I really am poison" Dean said as he turned away and continued into the cave.

Dean was exhausted, out of breath and sweating by the time he made it to the opening of the cave. He still had to go a ways before he reached the area he was in last night. He stopped for a moment to try and gain some more strength to continue.

"Could have really used the help Sammy" Dean said as he closed his eyes.

Dean had been relieved to see Sam calling him and was kicking himself for not being honest for lying to Sam, again. He could have been honest and asked for help, told him how hurt he really was. Then when he was ok, he would take off and leave Sam alone but no.

"You just had to be an asshole, right Dean" he said to himself.

He felt a little better and made his way over to his duffel and collapsed onto the ground. He had thought about calling Sam back and telling him about his situation. Then he thought of him not answering, of just yelling at him or worse, refusing to help him. '_What if Sam said no, what if he said "so" like he did in the church? Would he think I was worthy of this fate? To die alone on a hunt, bloody and weak?_' Dean thought. Tears came to his eyes as he thought of Sam just turning him away, not caring. '_What if he did come and saw Edgar's body, what would he say? What would he do?_' Dean was caught up in his thoughts.

Even when Sam was possessed Dean did not hold anything he did against him. Sam had been taken over by Meg and she had used him to kill hunters. She had killed one and then went after Jo, shot Dean and then went after Bobby. Dean knew it wasn't him and would never bring up that hunter or what he did or could have done to Jo or Bobby. Yet, somehow he figured Sam would not forgive him for getting another innocent person killed. He didn't forgive himself so, how could anyone else.

Dean was slowly starting to take care of his wounds. He started with his chest seeing how if he bound his shoulder first it could reopen and the bandage would move. So he looked for the holy water he carried, thankful he carried extra bottles and started pouring it on his wounds. He groaned as the gashes on his chest burned and smoked. He applied it several times and once it stopped reacting he started to prepare needle and thread. They were deep enough that they needed to be stitched.

Dean slowly made his way through four gashes, trying to do as best as he could. His hand was shaking and his breathing was erratic, he knew he was starting to go into shock. Once he finished with that he took out gauze pads and ace wrapping and bound his chest. He had to do it tight enough to support his ribs while it also was easy on the gashes. Once he was done he began on his shoulder once more. This time it was easier and quicker seeing as, it wasn't new but old and just needed new bandaging.

Dean knew he had to burn the body of the creature as well as Edgar's. He could not let Edgar become a poltergeist or a spirit that could not find peace and rest. He had done enough to him, he needed to make this right, not for himself but Edgar.


End file.
